Material-handling equipment



Sept. 15, 1925. 1,553,361

M. R. BUTLER MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT w my 26 1922 Patented Sept. 15, 19251,

PATENT OFFICE.

nonean n. BUTLER, or WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN.

MATERIAL-HANDLING EQUIPMENT.

Application filed July 26, 1922. Serial No. 577,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORGAN R. BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Waukesha, in the county of lVaukesha and State of I/Visconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Material-Handling Equipments, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which is a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in material handling equipment and refers more particularly to a gate construction for controlling the supply of material to a measuring hopper.

In aggregate measuring hoppers, it is very essential to the successful mixing of the aggregate to accurately measure, each time, an equal amount of material and to this end it is desirable that the measuring hopper be filled flush with the gate to thus eliminate any possible variance.

In the structures of this character now most commonly employed, the desired result is not obtained, as many of them employ a hopper which is partly open at the .top so that instead of closing through the material the gate merely pushes the material into the open part of the hopper and depends upon the tendency of the material to maintain a predetermined angle in the opened part to measure the contents, j

Having the objections to the former type of devices of this character inmind, it is a primary object of my invention to provide a gate construction which is so designed as to permit the measuring hopper to be completely filled with material without preventing the closing of the gate member.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a device of the character described having a follower member which is yieldable upon closing movement of the gate member when material is jammed between the end thereof to thus permit the free and complete closing of the gate member.

- It is another object of this invention to provide a transverse recess communicating with the passageway connecting a source of material supply with measuring hopper whereby all material jammed between the.

end of the gate member, when being closed,

may be forced therein to facilitate the closing thereof.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of means operable upon opening movement of the gate member to discharge all material in the transverse recess through the passageway.

This invention has for a still further 010- ject to provide an'improved control gate so designed that one or more gate members maybe actuated from a common operating lever. I

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description procoeds, my invention resides in the novel con struction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by cheappended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated one com lete example of the physical embodiment of according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of a pair of measuring hoppers equipped with gate members embodying my invention, parts thereof being broken awayv and in section. to more clearly illustrate details of construction; i Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the gate constructions, parts thereof being broken away to more clearly my invention constructed parallel channel beams 7 upon which are mounted sand and gravel bins 8 and 9 conneotable with the measuring hoppers 5 and 6 by passageways 10 and 11 respectively.

The measuring hoppers are substantially the: same in construction differing only in size and each consists of an upper hood or shell 12, the upper-"open endiof which communicates with the adjacent passageway, an intermediate shell or casing ;13,-,which, telescoped over hood 12 and has its upper edge struck inwardly,,- iasfat (15k, iEOiliIliihdi-S downward movement and a bottom shell or hopper. part 15 havingv ;a dischargeaopeniing which is: normally closed :byaaidoor 15; {Th

-'.bottom section .of f eachameasnririgahQiiper is equipped with lateral arms. 0rw1irgsil7 which are sslidabiy Q engageable with s suspenismn rods .-1=8=supportedfromabeaans,K, and

the i-c apacity .of sthe l hoppersyis --read:i1y. ad-

- justed: by raising the lowermost sect-ion; i15,

the sections being :iSBCllT-Qd' in (this-position by suitable members 19'.

ECentrally mounted between "beams 17, iiiQl movement dongitudinallv ithereof, is- =-a 'ga-te ,menrberoperating ;bar or rod 20,- whrch 11s supported at intermediate points by rollers .21 ournal-ed ibetween nus-shapedbrackets or supports22a=the ends oi? which retain thefbar -,-in roper alinement. with the beams-1.7.

Fixed .tobar 20in :spaced zrelation ,by rsecniring means -231-are"tlwo agate ;inembers- 2d and 25 adapted :wfor :movement vacross: ,passa=ge hoppers =5 and 16 afrom the :material supply min-s18 and'j9, respectively when'bar 20 Fis shifted-shy a lever for other means, not shown. fPassa'gewayi :11 is'iformed :theunner avails inf beams f7 and two spaced transverse 1 brace pla t'es izfi m:nd=passageway':10 iis'sformed H the inner walls coat beams 17, :a ='.transv,erse brace plateWZ'Z, isimifla-rsto epl-ates 1.26, and a follower member 128. Ela tes :26 :andfi27 :haye

central "transverse' slots" :or open-ings". 28' therein, through which. the ugate rmembers formed by top and ibottoi-n'iplates' ?31 connecting beams 7. Gate member-'25 has its opposite ends extended into slots "28, when inclosecl-position,and when opened is in thelde'tt'ed line position illustrated :in Fig- :ure 1. 7

7 Follower 28 has a central recess vor open- =ing '-%2 {through :which rod 20 passes and the opposite ends ofthe follower have guideways 33*therein which engage tracks or guidesifiikin'ithe :form ofangle irons secured to the inner faces of beams 7, The follower 28 is freely slidable independent of rod 20 but is positively positioned adjacent the side of the passageway 10 opposite plate 27, as illustrated in Figure 1, when gate member 24 is in .open position, by a stop 35 adjustably secured on rod 20 by a set screw 36.

In operation, when it is desired to fill the measuring hoppers, rod 20 is shifted to the right with reference'to'the drawing to positionthe gate members as illustrated in Figure 1, follower 28 being moved to its position il-llistr-atecldn Figures 1 and 2 by the stop 35 to prevent material from entering recess 30.

:When the, measuring hoppers are 'full, which can; be readily ascertained by the ceasing qOf the sound caused by :the material passing (from ,the supp-1y ,ebigns, the opera-tor shirts rod-.2 0 to the ,left,with reference to :the drawing. Heretofore, I .difiic'ulty gin 01.05- mg the ;-gate members has (been ,BXPGE-lQDCBd for :as gate anember .24 ,nears .closed position,

the gravel becomes jammed between gitsflerid struction the follower .28. yields :as the material becomes jammedfibetween it and ,the gate endato thus perm-it iree ,closing moyement, the very-small ,amountnof,material in ithe i am 'beingfforced into recess -30.

- lWith this construction accurate measuring o f the gravel -,is obtained as rhopperfi is completely filled each time {and ,it ,lS impossible for additional material/to (tall into the hopper as its content-s are gbeing ,dis-

charged. Mthen'the gate members are .again a n o it measur ng-- epr slary material inrecess 3.0 isdischarged into ,hop-

,pe1m5 the iqllower28 which pushes ,the

ina-terialout ofthe recess as. illustrated by ,the ,dotted lines in ,Eigure 1. in ,the drawing, gate-,member25 is i-llustratedl as not equipped w thxa iz'ollolwer .28., as l'findfrom exper ment that, the gatej-member may ,be

readily closed throughsand. r NVhat I claim as myinvention is z; 1

iA' device of the character described,

--.com-pr-ising -a member pro vi ded with an ,openmg a gate member mounted for movenent :across the .open-i-ng, a follower -positioned adjacent the openingwhen the ;gate member is in open positioneand movable "away from the open-ing as the gate member .is closed, and axon-nection between the gate member and followery for -moving ,the follower to its iposition 5 adjacent the opening, as the gate member is moved zto open position.

2 A device {of the-character described,

romprising a --member provided with an openin a gate member mounted for movenentgaeross :the opening, a follower posiitioned adjacent the opening, when .the gate 'memher is in @fpenposi-tion said followerv ibeing n'ioved away from the opening {by closing movement of the gate member jamming material between it and the follower, and means coordinated with the gate member for positively returning the follower to its position adjacent the opening upon opening, movement of the gate member.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a member provided with an opening, a gate member mounted for movement across the opening, an operating rod secured to the gate member for moving the same to and from closed position, a follower mounted on the operating rod, and means moving the follower to a position adjacent the opening when the gate member is moved to open position. v

4. A device of the character described, comprising a member provided with an opening,a gate member mounted for movement across the opening, an operating rod secured to the gate member for moving the same to and from closed position, a follower mounted on the operating rod, and a stop on the operating rod and ngageable with the follower 'to move the same to a position adacent the opening upon movement of the gate member to open position.

5. A device of the character described, comprising a member having a discharge passage, a gate member mounted for movement across the discharge passage, said passage having a recess communicable therewith, and a follower movable into said recess and adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge passage when the gate member is in open position,

6. A device of the character described, comprising a member having a discharge passage, a gate member mounted for movement across the discharge passage, said passage having a recess communicable therewith, and a follower movable into the recess and adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge member when the gate member is in open position, the follower being moved into the recess upon closing movement of the gate member by material jammed between the follower and gate member.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a material supply hopper'having adischarge opening, of a pair of beam members mounted one on each side of the discharge opening, a gate longitudinally slidably mounted between the beam members for movement across the discharge opening to close same, and a follower mounted for movement between the beam members and adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge opening when the gate is in open position.

S. In a device of the character described, the combination with a material supply hopper having a discharge opening, of a pair of beam members'mounted one on each side of the discharge opening, a gate longitudinally slidably mounted between the beam members for movement across the discharge opening to close same, guidescarried by the beam members, and a. follower slidably mounted between the beam 'm'embers onsaid guides and adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge opening when the gate is in open position. i

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a material supply hopper'having a discharge opening, of a pair of beam members mounted one on each side of the discharge opening, a gate longitudinally slidably mounted between the beam members for movement across the discharge opening to close same, guides carried by the; beam members, and a follower slidably mounted between the beam members on said guides and adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge opening when the gate is in open position, said guides providing means for maintaining the gate horizontal when in closed position.

10. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a material supply hopper having a discharge opening, of a pair of beam members mounted one on each side of the discharge opening and extended beyond the discharge opening in opposite directions, a bottom plate connecting the beam members and terminating adjacent the discharge opening, an operating rod longitudinally, slidably mounted between the beam members, a gate carried by the operating rod and movable thereby to and from a position closing the discharge opening, a follower slidably mounted between the beam members, and means positioning the follower adjacent the discharge opening when the gate is moved. to open position, the follower be ing moved over the bottom plate upon clos ing movement of the gate by material jammed between it and the gate.

11. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bin, a discharge passageway leading from the bin, a gate movable across the passageway into open and closing positions, the wall of the passageway toward which the gate closes being movable with the gate in closing, and means operable by the gate in its opening movement to return said movable wall to normal position.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination of a stationary bin, a measuring hopper fixed to the bin and connected at the top with the lower part of the bin by a passageway, a gate movable across the passageway into open and closing positions, the wall of the passageway toward which the gate closes being movable with the gate in closing, and means for returning said movable wall to normal position with the open ing of the gate.

13. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bin a passageway leading from the lower portion of the bin, a gate IOU movablev across the passageway into open and elosed positions, the wall of the passageway toward which the gate closes being yieldable to (move away from the passageway with the gatein closing. and the path of said gate intersecting the plane of the yieldable wall at a medial point, and means for returning said yieldable wall to normal position with the opening ofxthe gate.

5 14. In a device of the Character described, the, combination of a bin, a passageway leading from the lower portion of thebin, said ;ipassagewayhaving a transverse recess oomi inunio-able therewith, agate movable across the passageway into open and losd pos'itio'ns, the wall, of the passageway toward which thefg'ate closes being movable with the gate in elosing into'the transverse re'oess, and-nieainsfor returning said movable wall to normaLposition with" the opening of the gate member, the return of the movable Wall to normal 'positionfolearing said recess of any materialtherein. I

' In' test1mo'ny whereof I aflix my signature.

MORGAN R. BUTLER. 

